Pierce officially joins Wizards

Washington, D.C. (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards announced the signing of forward Paul Pierce on Thursday.

Due to team policy, terms of the deal were not released. According to previous reports, however, Pierce will join the Wizards on a two-year contract worth $11 million. He is eligible to opt out after the first year.

A 16-year veteran, Pierce spent the first 15 years of his career with the Boston Celtics before spending 2013-14 with the Nets. He was traded to Brooklyn last summer and averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in his lone season in black and white.

While with Boston, Pierce led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title en route to Finals MVP honors. He averaged 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists during the playoff run that gave the Celtics their first championship since 1986.

"We are very happy to welcome Paul to our organization and add his championship experience and history of clutch play to our team," Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said. "He will be a good fit alongside our young, dynamic backcourt while his presence and leadership will make a difference for us both on and off the court."

Pierce is currently the 18th leading scorer in NBA history and ranks fourth among active players behind Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and former teammate Kevin Garnett.

The 10-time NBA All-Star owns career marks of 21.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 1,177 games played.